MIDDLETOWN — Voters will be asked to approve two referendum questions when they vote in the Nov. 5 municipal election.

The city is seeking $15.2 million to pay for road paving, sidewalks, signage and lighting and $1.15 million to purchase about 5,000 street lights from Connecticut Light & Power.

In a meeting with reporters Monday, Mayor Daniel Drew said the funding for road projects will help the city maintain its infrastructure over the next several years.

The city typically seeks money for road paving every two years, but since there was no referendum for funding in 2009 the public works department is catching up with many roads that badly need work, he said. This year's funding request is the most expensive road bond package ever in the city, but Drew said the cost is due to the two-year gap and rising costs for asphalt and fuel.

"Right now our borrowing rates are the lowest they've ever been in the history of the city," Drew said. "This is a good time to work on city infrastructure."

Public Works Director William Russo said the 2013 road bond list includes about 25 miles of roads. He said 39 of the roads to be paved can be done for about $1 million using an "asphalt rubber surface treatment" that is far cheaper than a full reconstruction.

Russo said a road bond list takes about five to six years to complete because of the design and engineering work that must be done for each road.

The street light purchase will allow the city to hire a contractor to handle maintenance and replacement of street lights while saving more than $200,000 per year in electricity costs, city officials said. The plan will include a gradual change to more efficient and longer-lasting lights with light-emitting-diode bulbs.

The purchase would also include about 1,000 utility poles in the downtown area that have no electicity or telephone wires on them.

Other cities and towns, including West Hartford, Torrington, Manchester and Stamford have purchased the street lights in recent years.

Savings are expected to offset the initial cost of the purchase within five years. The common council approved adding both questions to the ballot when it met Sept. 2.